It’s July now — and that means the heat and humidity are here in full force. We’ve been dealing with some seriously sizzling days here in Roselle over the past few weeks, and we all know what that means: kicking the air conditioning into full gear.
As your trusted HVAC service in Roselle, Saturn Heating Cooling & Electrical wants to help ensure that your summer is as cool as you want it to be. We are here to assist in making that air conditioner run like a dream. One of the best ways we can do that is sharing some of our knowledge of HVAC services (that is, after all, what our blog is all about!). Today’s blog will explore some of the most common myths and misconceptions about air conditioning — and there are plenty! By staying informed and knowledgeable on the world of HVAC, we hope that you can keep your home comfortable and efficient. Be sure to visit our Residential HVAC page to learn more about air conditioning, and, as always, reach out to Saturn for all of your HVAC services in Roselle. Now, let’s take a look at some air conditioning myths!
1. Don’t run the air conditioner during the day
This is a very reasonable misconception. After all, why would you want to run the air conditioner when no one is home? That certainly seems like a huge waste of energy and money! Well, it’s not quite the simple.
First of all, you might want to run your air conditioner during the day for the sake of your pets or plants. The extreme heat inside the home can be dangerous for your little roommates. But, even if your home is empty during the day, it can still be a good idea to run your air conditioner. The reason is because the temperatures inside your home can greatly increase throughout the day. That means you’ll be coming home to a sweltering heat box. When you kick on the air conditioner, it will require a whole lot of energy to get your home down to a comfortable temperature.
As with many of the myths and misconceptions we’ll talk about, there are certain variables that complicate the story. If, for instance, your home is in a well-shaded area, then the temps might not get as brutal throughout the day. A lot of this will also depend on your personal temperature preferences. At any rate, leaving your AC on during the day isn’t always a costly or inefficient option.
2. Furnace maintenance is more important that Air Conditioner maintenance
Air conditioning maintenance tends to get short shrift when compared with furnace maintenance. Most people seem to at least know the importance of regularly changing the filters on your furnace (and it IS very important!). But it’s less common to hear people talking about regular air conditioner maintenance.
This is, obviously, an unfortunate asymmetry. Air conditioners deserve just as much love as furnaces. These are both pieces of technology that need to be checked on to ensure that they’re optimally running. Neglecting either of these could result in long-term costs, harm to the environment, and, most importantly, dangers to you and your home. Be sure to reach out to the pros for regular HVAC services.
3. Air conditioners will get you sick
We hear this one far too often. There tends to be a general fear of technology that we don’t understand — kind of like how folks were worried about getting ill from microwaves for a long time. Well, just like microwaves, air conditioning is a safe and convenient piece of technology.
The notion that air conditioners will get you sick likely comes from the fact that people get sick more in the winter. This causes a lot of folks to associate coldness with sickness. It doesn’t help that one of the most common forms of illness is called “the common cold.” Fortunately, being cold doesn’t cause sickness.
Just remember that colds and flus are caused by bacteria and viruses — not temperatures. Sure, there are certain habits that result from cold temperatures — say, huddling in close proximity to each other and increasing the odds of spreading bacteria and viruses — but this isn’t due to the air conditioner itself.
4. Air conditioners are all you need during the summer
You might be tempted to take the “set it and forget it” approach to summer air conditioning. This will certainly get the job done. However, if you’re looking to maximize the effectiveness of your air conditioning and do what you can to save money, then there are other important steps you can take.
One of the most important steps you can take is to reinforce your home to make it as energy efficient as possible. You will want to ensure that your home doesn’t have any major air leaks. Window dressings can be an effective way to keep hot air outside and cool air inside. Steps like these will allow your air conditioner to work at its optimal capacity. It won’t be needing to run as hard to keep the temperatures stable.
5. Air Conditioners only cool the air
The air conditioner has a great and accurate name. An air conditioner does so much more than merely cool the air. Yes, air from an air conditioner is colder, but it’s also conditioned so that it has less humidity.
So when you walk into an air-conditioned building from the muggy outdoors, it’s more than just the cold nature of the air that’s helping. High humidity in your home is a good indication that something is wrong with your air conditioner and that it’s time for HVAC services. If you notice that your air is cool but still feels clammy, be sure to reach out to Saturn.
Stay Cool in the Summer Heat
We hope that covering some of these myths will help you guard against these scorching summer temperatures. Don’t feel bad if you believed any of these myths — we all hold misconceptions from time to time, plus many of them are based in solid intuitions. That’s why the pros are here!
When you work with Saturn Heating Cooling & Electrical, you’re getting our combined decades of experience to help you take care of your current air conditioner and help you choose a new one when the time comes. If you have any questions about HVAC services in Roselle — or think you might have fallen for a myth we haven’t covered — we’d love to talk with you about it. Contact Saturn Heating Cooling & Electrical for HVAC services in Roselle today!